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Masks & RotoIntermediate
Ranges
Multi-range matte control
Builds or refines a mask from selected tonal or channel ranges, giving more deliberate control than a single threshold.
Ranges
DaVinci Resolve · Fusion
Ranges is useful when a subject can be described by several value intervals rather than one continuous key. It can isolate tonal bands and combine them into a technical matte for grading, keying or effects.
Overview
What Ranges does
Ranges is useful when a subject can be described by several value intervals rather than one continuous key. It can isolate tonal bands and combine them into a technical matte for grading, keying or effects.
Mental model
Think of Ranges as defining windows on the image signal: pixels inside the windows are accepted, pixels outside them are rejected, and the boundaries can be softened.
Common uses
Create luminance-band masks
Restrict effects to highlights or shadows
Build technical mattes
Refine a key with multiple ranges
Separate repeated value groups
Create procedural selections
Flow anatomy
Inputs & outputs
The port structure shows how this node fits into a Fusion graph.
Image
Source image for the operation.
Ranges
Fusion node
Image / Matte
The generated mask or matte.
Inspector
Important parameters
Start with these controls before reaching for more complicated workarounds.
Level
Sets the strength of the generated Ranges mask.
Filter: Box / Bartlett / Multi-box / Gaussian / Fast Gaussian
Uses Box / Bartlett / Multi-box / Gaussian / Fast Gaussian filtering when the image is resampled.
Soft Edge
Softens the transition at the edge of the mask, matte or effect.
Invert
Reverses the resulting matte.
Center X / Y
Sets the X/Y coordinates for center.
Fit Input: Crop / Stretch / Inside / Width / Height / Outside
Sets Fit Input to Crop / Stretch / Inside / Width / Height / Outside.
Range: Shadows / Midtones / Highlights
Sets Range to Shadows / Midtones / Highlights.
Channel: Luminance / Red / Green / Blue / Alpha
Chooses the source channel from which the Ranges mask is generated.
Curve / Graph
Edits the custom curve that defines which part of the value range is selected.
Simple / Smooth
Chooses whether the range-selection curve transitions directly or with smoother interpolation.
Output Size: Default / Custom / Source
Sets Output Size to Default / Custom / Source.
Clipping Mode: None / Frame
Sets Clipping Mode to None / Frame.
Practical setup
A reliable workflow
- 1
Choose the channel that best separates the target.
- 2
Set a narrow initial range.
- 3
Expand until the useful region is covered.
- 4
Use softness to reduce hard contouring.
- 5
Combine with a garbage mask if unrelated pixels share the same values.
Typical node chain
Image channels→
Ranges→
Band-limited matte
Examples
Where this node fits in real work
Highlight matte
Restrict Glow or grade to the brightest regions.
MediaInRangesGlow
Technical mask
Generate a value band and combine it with a Polygon.
MediaInRangesPolygonMatteControl
Troubleshooting
Common mistakes
Using very broad ranges that become almost full-frame
Ignoring noisy pixels near the boundaries
Expecting value ranges to understand object identity
Adding softness so early that the real threshold is hard to diagnose
Production notes
Practical tips
Preview the matte in black and white.
Constrain range mattes spatially when the shot contains repeated values.
A small blur after a stable range is often cleaner than huge built-in softness.
Related nodes